Chapter 362: Crime and Punishment
Since that day, Yukina had not returned to school.
Despite it being only her second day after transferring, she had taken three consecutive days off.
She hadn't even met with her newly made friends, Nagisa Akatsuki and Kanon Kanase.
Everyone was speculating about what had happened to Himeragi Yukina, and rumors were already flying everywhere.
Some said Himeragi Yukina had become despondent after stalking a certain high school student and failing to win their affection.
Others claimed Himeragi Yukina had been caught loitering outside the boys' restroom.
There were also rumors that Himeragi Yukina had uncovered someone's affair and was afraid of retaliation, which was why she hadn't come to school.
In short, opinions varied widely.
But in reality, Yukina was currently holed up in her own home.
The spacious living room was devoid of any furniture, and even her sleeping area was simply a cardboard mat laid out on the floor.
It could be said that aside from the floor, the room was completely empty. The lingering glow of the sunset shone through the window onto the floor, casting a cold and desolate atmosphere inside.
It was hard to imagine this was a place where a girl lived.
And there Yukina sat, huddled alone in a corner, hugging her knees motionlessly like a statue.
She looked utterly dejected and listless.
Even her eyes were red and bloodshot, her eyelids swollen like walnuts.
Ever since her mission failed, she was severely reprimanded by Mahiro, and Snowdrift Wolf was taken away, Yukina had become like this.
She carefully recalled her disgraceful behavior that day.
First, she was repeatedly toyed with by the surveillance target.
Then, in a fit of anger, she fought with Mahiro, causing severe damage to the Lion King Organization's treasured weapon, Snowdrift Wolf.
Thinking about each of these incidents one by one, she had no idea how she would face her master, who had taught her, or the Elders who had placed high hopes in her.
She wasn't clever enough to fabricate a report and gloss over the matter.
She had reported everything that happened in meticulous detail to the Lion King Organization that very day.
Soon, she would likely lose her surveillance qualifications, and before long, the Lion King Organization would recall her...
At this thought, Yukina couldn't help but feel a strong sense of loss welling up inside her.
"I'm sorry, Master... Yukina must have disappointed you greatly..."
Yukina murmured to herself while crouching on the floor, burying her head in her arms once again.
Ding-dong—
Just then, a crisp doorbell broke the silence in the room.
Through the peephole, she could see a man in a delivery company uniform standing outside.
That man was likely a member sent by the Lion King Organization.
"Are you here to take me back?"
Yukina went to the entrance and unlocked the door for him.
But when the door opened, the man had already disappeared around the corner of the staircase.
Instead, a large piece of luggage was placed in the hallway right in front of her door.
It was a rectangular aluminum case.
The kind of suitcase used for transporting instruments like guitars.
The sender on the shipping label was the Lion King Organization, and the recipient was written as Yukina.
Though puzzled, Yukina carried the case into her room.
She unfastened the clasps and lifted the lid.
Then, she gasped.
Inside the case was a repaired and gleaming silver spear, looking as good as new.
"...Snowdrift Wolf?!"
Yukina exclaimed in surprise.
She hadn't expected that Snowdrift Wolf, which had been damaged by her recklessness just yesterday, would appear intact in the box.
Why?
Yukina was deeply puzzled, but she soon noticed a letter placed on top of Snowdrift Wolf.
The recipient on the envelope was also marked with her name, and the handwriting looked familiar.
It was the personal handwriting of her Elder from the Lion King Organization!
Curious, Yukina picked it up, opened the envelope, unfolded the folded letter, and carefully read through it.
However, only one sentence remained on it.
It instructed her to go alone to the Lion King Organization's office on Itogami Island!
After reading the letter, Yukina placed it on the floor beside her. The moment it touched the ground, the letter spontaneously ignited without fire, instantly turning to ashes.
But Yukina paid it no mind.
Her cherry lips pressed tightly together.
She wasn't entirely sure what the Lion King Organization meant by sending the repaired Snowdrift Wolf to her at this time.
Let alone instructing her to go to the Lion King Organization's office.
Perhaps the decision on her punishment had already been made?
The internal management of the Lion King Organization was actually very strict, and the severity of punishments for mistakes was extremely high—the kind that was terrifying just to hear about.
This ensured strict control within the Lion King Organization.
But Yukina felt no fear at this moment. No matter how severe the punishment she faced, she would accept it willingly.
After making her decision, she headed straight into the bathroom. Standing before the mirror, she tidied up her disheveled appearance slightly, making herself look less disheveled, and then left the apartment.
As evening approached.
A salty, damp sea breeze quietly drifted into the streets.
Yukina arrived alone in front of an antique shop.
It was a rare brick-built old building on Itogami Island.
It bore no resemblance to an office; instead, it looked like a general store that had been open for some years but had few customers.
Yet this was indeed the Lion King Organization's office.
Although the Lion King Organization was a public institution affiliated with Japan and had some international influence, it was essentially a special intelligence organization.
Coupled with the unique nature of Itogami Island,
disguise was necessary.
Standing before the old, weathered door that exuded a sense of age, Yukina took a deep breath and placed her hand on it.
The girl's back, as she pushed open the old shop door, seemed to reflect a certain resolve.
Ding-a-ling—
An old bell rang with a clear, crisp sound.
The wooden door creaked, and the distinctive dusty smell of an old house immediately wafted out.
This was followed by the clear voice of a woman who sounded like a shop attendant.
"Welcome. What brings the two of you here today?"
Greeting her was a young female shop attendant.
She was a slender, tall, and beautiful girl, with her long hair tied into a ponytail that perfectly complemented her bright, sunlit hair color.
Her stunning face was reminiscent of blooming cherry blossoms.
Her attire, however, resembled that of a maid from a maid café.
A fluffy short skirt paired with a deeply cut neckline, a tailored waist that accentuated her chest prominently, and the absolute territory beneath the short skirt was faintly visible, tempting human curiosity...
A strong desire to attract surged forth.
Hmm, the figure was unexpectedly good, and the attire was unexpectedly alluring.
However, this shop assistant was not a living person but a shikigami under her master's command.
Yet, the appearance was that of a certain acquaintance known to Yukina—a Demon Hunter who grew up with her and held the title of "Maii"—Kirasaka Sayaka.
Although it was not Sayaka herself, merely a shikigami.
But upon seeing that face, Yukina's mood inexplicably relaxed considerably.
"Come in, Yukina."
At that moment, another voice echoed from deep within the shop.
Compared to the sweet and clear tone from earlier, this voice was more straightforward and unrestrained, its sound crisp and pleasant like jade striking jade.
Yukina recognized that voice—it was her master's.
As the words fell, the attendant shikigami had already turned around, and Yukina hurriedly followed.
Led by the attendant, she was brought to a spacious and bright tatami room.
At the far end of the room, what appeared was not a human.
But a graceful black cat.
Its eyes were a gleaming gold, and a delicate collar adorned with a gem of the same golden-green hue encircled its neck.
Upon seeing the black cat, Yukina quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, bowed her head, and respectfully greeted the black cat:
"...It has been a long time, Master. Himeragi Yukina has come to pay her respects."
"It has indeed been a while, Yukina."
The black cat suddenly spoke, its voice identical to the one that had just sounded. Its bright cat eyes examined Yukina for a moment before speaking again:
...It seems you have already cried.'
Himeragi Yukina: "...
The girl did not respond, merely lowering her head in silence.
The black cat before her was naturally not her master's true form but her master's familiar. Through secret arts, the master's consciousness was connected to the black cat, allowing it to descend.
Endou Yukari's true self should still be in the High God Forest.
As for Yukina's silence, the black cat did not pay it much mind. While emitting a soft chuckle from its throat, it raised a front paw with a human-like gesture, as if stroking Yukina's cascading hair from a distance.
"...I have already read your report. The situation has indeed become quite dire."
"Yes, Master. All of this is Yukina's responsibility, caused by Yukina's recklessness."
As she spoke, Yukina deeply bowed her head once more, taking all the blame upon herself.
"No, the responsibility does not lie entirely with you."
The black cat shook its head and said:
"Although your recklessness, born of inexperience, played a leading role in the worsening of the incident, we, the Three Saints, also bear some responsibility."
"Master…?"
Yukina looked up in astonishment, somewhat unable to believe it.
"What, did you not expect your master to say such things? Did you not expect your master to place the responsibility on the Three Saints?"
"..."
Hearing the black cat say this, Yukina quickly lowered her head again.
"Hehe, there's no need to be so tense."
The black cat waved its paw, signaling Yukina not to worry too much.
"We, the Three Saints, are not gods. Since we are not gods, it is natural that we too can make mistakes. This time, we indeed underestimated this Yotsuba Mahiro."
Yukina pursed her lips upon hearing this, appearing as if she had something to say but hesitated.
"What is it, something on your mind? Then speak plainly. There's no need to hold back in front of your master. I've said before, when it's just the two of us, I am merely your master, not one of the Three Saints."
The black cat's words gave Yukina a sense of reassurance, allowing her to voice the question that weighed most heavily on her heart.
"Master, Yukina wants to ask: sending me to monitor Yotsuba Mahiro—was it truly just simple surveillance? And also, those rumors circulating outside about the Lion King Organization..."
Ever since that day, Mahiro's words had echoed incessantly in the depths of her heart.
Each time she was on the verge of forgetting them, they would resurface.
Moreover, during her time on Itogami Island, she had indeed heard unfavorable rumors about the Lion King Organization from some of the demon clan members.
"It was Yotsuba Mahiro who told you, wasn't it?"
Hearing the black cat's words, Yukina felt a sudden tension in her heart, but she still nodded in acknowledgment. "...Yes, Master."
"Sigh...!"
The black cat first let out a sigh, then, as if lost in thought, turned her gaze to the window and pondered for a long while before softly saying:
"That man is right. Those rumors are also correct."
"!!!"
Yukina's eyes widened slightly.
Although she had already partially accepted this reality, hearing her master confirm it with her own words still left Yukina feeling shocked.
So much so that she instinctively asked:
"Why?"
However, the black cat did not answer directly. Instead, she posed a question in return:
"Yukina, what kind of organization do you think our Lion King Organization is?"
Yukina hesitated for a moment before replying:
"Upholding justice, maintaining fairness, and ensuring world peace."
"Hmm, that's correct."
The black cat nodded, then continued, "But Yukina, do you know that upholding justice requires paying a corresponding price?"
"A price?"
"Yes, a price. Either possessing formidable strength, like that of a Progenitor, or having extensive connections. However, our Lion King Organization originated from the 'Takiguchi Musha' of the Heian period, who protected the imperial court from evil spirits. Our establishment spans merely a thousand years.
To mediate and maintain balance among those Progenitors and various powerful organizations, we naturally must pay a certain price."
Yukina remained silent, waiting for what would come next.
"Of course, this price is paid voluntarily. We naturally desire peace, but we would never force anyone. They all acted willingly.
However, such methods are ultimately flawed. As the leader of the Three Saints, Shizuka Koyomi has already paid the corresponding price."
Hearing this, Yukina's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You mean... something has happened to Lady Shizuka Koyomi?"
"Yes, something has happened."
The black cat nodded, her tone tinged with emotion. "But fortunately, it's not fatal. It will only cause her discomfort for a while."
For some reason, when the black cat said this, her tone carried a faint hint of pleasure.
And indeed, the Shizuka Koyomi she spoke of was currently in great discomfort.
"Ouch... Damn it..."
In the classroom during the last self-study period, Shizuka Koyomi, who was using the pseudonym Hinado, was currently clutching her stomach, lying on the desk with a pained expression.
Her forehead and clothes were already soaked with sweat, and her fair face was flushed with an unnatural redness.
Under the desk, her legs were tightly pressed together, rubbing against each other in an unnatural, fidgeting manner.
She had completely lost her usual quiet and composed demeanor.
It was as if she was enduring something.
"Hinado, are you okay?"
The girl sitting behind her, Hinado's friend, gently poked Hinado's back with the tip of her pen, wanting to check on her.
But this poke caused Hinado to immediately stiffen, her legs tensing up uncontrollably as she kicked the empty seat in front of her.
A faint scratch was left on her clean indoor shoes.
Her head tilted upward, her twin braids flying wildly, revealing her slender, fair neck, now glistening with sweat.
A muffled, unnatural groan of pain escaped her tightly closed throat!
Then, as if completely drained, she slumped back into her chair.
Her chest rose and fell slowly.
Seeing Hinado in such a state, the girl behind her was startled.
Unlike Hinado, she had already been in a relationship and even gone all the way, so she naturally knew what Hinado's condition meant.
But the problem was, she had only lightly poked Hinado's back with her pen.
She hadn't done anything else.
Moreover, Hinado had been lying on the desk all day without moving, not even going to eat during lunch break, which was unusual for her to stay in the classroom.
Actually, this wasn't her fault.
Ever since being beaten by Mahiro, Hinado had felt something strange about her body, as if something had changed.
After lying in bed for two days, she had finally managed to use her Spiritual Power to ease the pain in her buttocks and returned to the classroom.
But from the moment she sat down on the chair, she could no longer stand up.
A strange sensation rose from within her body, tormenting her mind.
Even though she tried her best to endure it, there was no relief at all—instead, it grew more and more intense.
She felt like a small boat on a turbulent sea, and her friend's poke was the final straw that broke the camel's back, stirring up the last wave on the sea.
It directly capsized her small boat, sinking it into the dark depths of the ocean.
At that moment, she almost fainted!
The commotion naturally caught the attention of others in the class.
Countless eyes gathered on Hinado, filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and concern.
Almost everyone saw Hinado's miserable state.
They didn't know much about Hinado, as she usually had little presence in class, only known as a top-performing student.
But once such an unnoticed, diligent student drew attention in this way, it naturally sparked all kinds of gossip and rumors.
Hinado had no time to worry about the rumors. Weakly raising her hand, she said to the supervising teacher:
"...Teacher, I'm not feeling well... I need to go to the infirmary."
"Alright, go ahead. Be careful."
After receiving permission, Hinado pushed herself up from the desk with both hands, trembling as she stood on her weakened legs. Staggering and limping, she made her way out of the classroom.
The one responsible for all this was currently sitting in Natsuki Minamiya's office, enjoying a cup of tea.
Natsuki Minamiya's taste remained peculiar—she liked adding things like brandy to her black tea, which always felt a bit excessive.
Originally, he had been quite at ease today.
Without Yukina, that little fool, tailing him, and with Shizuka Koyomi kept busy by his antics, it was all about relaxation and pleasure.
But unexpectedly, just before school ended, he was once again dragged by Natsuki Minamiya to do some hard labor.
However, Natsuki-chan's attitude this time surprised him—it seemed unusually pleasant, even to the point of personally brewing him a cup of tea.
"By the way, Natsuki-chan, what exactly do you want? You didn't call me here just to have tea with you, did you?"
"Is that not allowed?"
Natsuki Minamiya set down her teacup and simultaneously opened the black lace folding fan in her hand, gently fanning it in front of her delicate face.
She teased in a playful tone:
"Spending the day at school with your adorable daughter and little girlfriend, going home in the evening to be with Est and that bunch of kids, and then messing around with Aya late at night—Yotsuba Mahiro, you really are a master of time management."
"Thank you, thank you..."
"Idiot, was I praising you?!"
With a snap, Natsuki's fan landed on Mahiro's head from a distance, tapping it a few times with a bit of force.
Mahiro didn't resist, letting her do as she pleased.
After a moment, whether Natsuki had grown tired or vented her little temper, she closed her fan, straightened her face, and spoke seriously:
"...Recently, people from the Lion King Organization should have already made contact with you, right?"
Hearing this, Mahiro set down his teacup, glanced at Natsuki with some surprise, and then nodded.
"Yes, they made contact, but I brushed them off. They probably won't cause any trouble for a while."
"Is that so? In that case, handle it yourself."
Natsuki Minamiya gave up on intervening. She trusted Mahiro deeply and believed that the Lion King Organization couldn't stir up any waves in this man's hands.
So she moved on to another matter.
"Come with me later. There have been a few bizarre demon murders on Itogami Island recently, and I need your input."